Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Senate President Saraki Raises Alarm Over CCT Trial

The Media Office of Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has
alerted members of the public of what it called the renewed attempts
being made by forces behind his on-going trial at the Code of Conduct
Tribunal to muddle up the case and blackmail key individuals and groups
involved directly and indirectly in the case.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Senate President on
Media, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki's Office stated that the forces have
since the weekend preceding the resumption of the case on Friday been
sponsoring various spurious allegations aimed at intimidating members of
the Tribunal, lawyers, journalists, legislators, Saraki's loyalists and
aides.

"Using the same scare-mongering methods that these devious forces have
employed since the commencement of the case last September, they have
employed an on-line medium known for its shady and unethical reputation,
Sahara Reporters and another national newspaper to peddle inaccurate
information aimed at prejudicing the coming case and forcing the actors
in the case to take certain predetermined decisions.

"In their desperation, they have been heckling key aides and associates
of the Senate President using some unidentified individuals who make
phoney calls to the phone numbers of the individuals close to Dr.
Saraki, trailing the movement of these associates and giving different
interpretations to the actions of these associates, all in a bid to
poison the minds of the public against Saraki and to muddy the waters
before the case commences on March 11.

"In one of these desperate attempts, they have tried to set the tribunal
members, prosecution and defence lawyers in the case against one
another. Yet again, they have sought to intimidate journalists who they
envisaged may be assigned to cover the case while also seeking to cause
disaffection among loyalists of the Senate President.

"The people behind these machinations believe they have to intensify
these external, dirty campaigns against Saraki as they see that more and
more Nigerians now understand that the trial is about who occupies the
office of Senate President and not about any campaign against
corruption.

"We will like to recall that this same group of people, using the same
set of media and style, have last year successfully forced a Federal
High Court judge to withdraw from the case filed by Dr. Saraki at the
early stage of the Code of Conduct case. They also blackmailed the Court
of Appeal to abruptly postpone its judgement some minutes to the period
scheduled for the delivery of the judgement.

Similarly, they have waged a war of attrition against Supreme Court
Judges shortly before the delivery of the Apex Court's judgement on the
appeal filed by the Senate President on February 5.

"In this smear campaign, the anti-Saraki forces using their allies in
the media have tended to rubbish reputations built by some individuals
over several decades. One of such individual was the respected former
Chief Justice of Nigeria, Alfa Modibo Belgore who they falsely accused
of trying to bribe judges on behalf of Dr. Saraki when nothing like that
ever happened.

"We therefore call on members of the public to disregard the antics of
these desperate and devilish elements. We assure all Nigerians and other
observers of the Nigerian situation to be rest assured that the Senate
President is ready to have his day in court. His lawyers are ready to
defend his right and prove his innocence."

- Oya oh...let the case begin already so we can differentiate the fraud from the facts.